Otters Score Late Goal to Earn Point in Overtime
Erie, Pennsylvania – A night of thrills and chills would await the Erie Otters in the final game of October for the team – the Halloween Spooktacular! After a frightful night in Kitchener on Friday, Erie would look for some home-cooking in a revenge game – especially on the other side of four-straight games on the road. The Otters would send out Noah Erliden to look to close the weekend out with a win, following his 41/42 save night in Barrie on Thursday night.
The Kitchener Rangers would come out swinging in the opening minutes of the game, taking a 10-2 shot advantage in the opening minutes. Midway into the period, the tides would start to turn as Justin Bottineau would earn a five-and-a-game for a check to the head on Nicholas Holomego. Erie would be unable to convert on the major power play, but this would lead to a higher-quantity shot opportunity for the Otters. As the final minute would come to pass, Pano Fimis (3) would strike with :28 left to give Erie a 1-0 lead. Shots after 20 would be even at 11-11.
The Otters would be the punchier team to start the second period, holding the Rangers shotless in the opening minutes. While Erie would take a 15-8 shot advantage from the period, the lone goal of the frame would belong to Luke Ellinas (8, SHG) after a mistake on the Otters four-on-three power play. After 40 minutes, the game would be knotted at 1-1 with a 26-19 shot advantage for Kitchener.
In the final frame, the Rangers would strike first blood as Luca Romano (4) would give Kitchener their first lead of the game just 4:03 in. Erie would look to start a comeback effort, and with an opportunity on the power play halfway through the third period after a five-minute major assessed to Jack LaBrash, Sam Alfano (7, PPG) would find the tying goal on a sneaky bounce. Erie would fall into penalty trouble, go down four-on-three, and allow a goal on the man-advantage for Adrian Misaljevic (8, PPG). With a late game really needed and the net-empty, Pano Fimis (4) would connect on his second of the night to tie things up and force overtime. In the extra frame, Kitchener would sit back and wait for the final seconds of the penalty to expire, take the four-on-three advantage, and take just :41 to score the game-winning goal. Adrian Misaljevic (9, GWG) would fire a rocket from a Luca Romano pass, and the Rangers would win their sixth-straight.
Thus closes the month of October for the Erie Otters, as the team looks ahead to a slower start to the second full month of the season. Erie will makes its lone trip to Brantford on Friday night, before hosting the Barrie Colts on Saturday for Country Night (pres. by 93.9 The Wolf) featuring a Pop-Up Cowboy Hat giveaway for the first 1500 fans. This will also mark the night of Erie’s “Put Hunger in the Penalty Box” Food Drive alongside Wegmans, benefitting the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania. Fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable items of food or cash donations to support the cause.